A bit dull.

I never cared much for this album and I doubt I ever will. Fame and Young americans are standout tracks but the rest of the songs just sound too much alike. When listened to them seperately they're enjoyable enough, but played one after the other they become a bit of a drag. Bowie's voacal delivery on this album is admirable though, it's just a shame most of his songwriting is not.

Worst of the "Classics"

This is easily the weakest Bowie album from his 70's heyday. Other than the hits, there really aren't any good - or even passable songs on here.

Check out Diamond Dogs or earlier or Heroes/Lodger/Scary Monsters

if you want a more challenging/rewarding experience.

Worth A Listen But Not a Must-Have

Lets get to the point here - I give this album two stars each for the two hits (the title track and Fame). However both of these tunes sound out of place when compared to the rest of the album that sounds like demo versions of songs not yet fully developed. While Bowie might have been fascinated with the R&B scene of America to the extent that he secured the services of a top flight backing band fluent in the genre (Alomar, Weeks, Newmark, Vandross), the full potential of this lineup didn't manifest except on the two hits leaving listeners to wonder what went wrong with the rest of the album. It certainly wasn't a question of talent of course. Also consider that Fame was cowritten with Alomar and Lennon though its the former's work with James Brown that enabled this song to take off as it did. Given the authenticity of backing band its a mystery as to why the rest of the album sounds so thin in comparison. Since Bowie was at the helm then he'll have to bear responsibility for that.